Passivhaus Design, Niagara

Passive House in Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada

When building any eco or passive home the building envelope is a crucial component. When the Black Bank Hill architects were choosing materials – the one thing they knew very early on was their preferred fiberglass window system.

Black Bank Hill was designed to meet Passivhaus standards in North America. Once the decision had been made to use ICF Construction, their goal was to create a wall with the highest R Value possible and use the most energy efficient fiberglass windows in the industry; Fibertec's Fiberglass windows and doors.

Using Passive Solar design: Three large, south-facing fiberglass windows in the home’s Great Room allow passive solar heat gain directly from the low-angle winter sun. The deep roof overhang inversely blocks the heat from the high-angle hot summer sun. Using the right combination of Triple Pane Glass, Low E Glazing, and Argon Gas The Black Bank Hill house received an EnerGuide rating of 86, making it one of the most energy efficient homes in the country. The home averages 30 kWh per day in electricity use. The owners enjoy a 65% reduction in their total energy use compared to a typical house of equal size.